Three Catalans who were on a humanitarian convoy for Barcelona Accio Solidària in Mauritania were kidnapped (article in Castilian, La Vanguardia). Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, Interior Minister said that there was 'every reason' to believe that the kidnapping was the work of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The three hostages including the son of the former Regional Minister of the Environment were attacked by a group of gunmen about 150 kilometers from the capitial Nouakchott on one of the busiest road in the country. President Montilla is said to have talked to the families of the hostages and to the NGOs that they belong to. Montilla said that "the objectives are to elucidate and obtain the exact identity of the kidnappers".